ARTICLES ABOUT COLTS BY DATE - PAGE 4

DAVIEThe injury bug has bitten the Dolphins' secondary early, forcing the team to keep 11 defensive backs on the 53-man roster. More injuries seem to be popping up each week, but it appears the Dolphins might get one of the team's more promising rookies back for Sunday's road game against the Indianapolis Colts. Will Davis, a third-round pick who flashed a knack for pulling down interceptions, appears to be on the road back from a turf toe injury he suffered in Miami's fourth exhibition game.

DAVIE - Practice starts at 1:40 p.m. today. We'll soon find out whether the Dolphins, after lots of turmoil, innuendo and clarifications, can turn the page and focus on this week's opponent, the Indianapolis Colts. That would take the bull's eye off the Dolphins' coaching staff and front office, and the misdaventures of Sunday. Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he was mad at himself, not the gameplan or coaches, after the 23-10 victory at Cleveland. “I'm mad at myself, just because I didn't have a good game,” Wallace said Monday, a day after recording one reception for 15 yards.

CORAL SPRINGS – The Flying L's are off to their best start in seven years. Fort Lauderdale rallied to defeat Coral Springs 20-10 Friday night and used a rigorous defense to preserve the win. After giving up a touchdown in the first quarter, the Flying L's (2-0) buckled down and kept the Colts (0-2) out of the end zone. Linebackers Jaboree Williams and Tom Ellison formulated a goal-line stand, while Larry Mosley intercepted a pass in the red zone. The Flying L's played for a majority of the night without injured quarterback Fritz Reed — which meant the offense had to come from somewhere else.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Miami Dolphins didn't wait to Mike Wallace involved in Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins' $60 million receiver was targeted eight times in the first half, catching seven passes for 70 yards and a 18-yard touchdown. The touchdown came on a quick screen on the Dolphins' first offensive possession, which featured center Mike Pouncey and tight end Michael Egnew as Wallace's lead blocker. On the opening drive Wallace had three receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Dan Marino remembers feeling surprised, then confused. He remembers thinking he'd be drafted high - "Maybe in the top five picks," he says - then sitting on the couch in his Pittsburgh home as those first five teams passed on him. "And that was just the beginning," he said. Thirty years ago, one of the NFL's most celebrated draft days and the luckiest in Dolphins history played out in ways that still resonate. Franchises rose and careers fell on that day's decisions. And as the intersecting dramas began in each team's draft room, coach Don Shula started that day figuring Marino would be long gone when the Dolphins picked 27th.

Marvin Pierre was a one-man wrecking crew as the Colts defeated the Bears 34-7 to close out the Western Communities Football League Pro Division regular season with a 9-0 record. Pierre accounted for 155 yards from scrimmage as he ran for 134 yards and added 21 yard receiving. Pierre scored three touchdowns on offense and added five tackles on defense to spark the Colts to the win. Colts' quarterback Ben Schmickle passed for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and Christian Mbaeri added 62 yards rushing and a touchdown.

The Miami Dolphins fell last week under an avalanche of 433 passing yards by the Colts' Andrew Luck's. Yes, Luck picked apart the Dolphins' secondary. But his legs were a significant factor in breaking the passing record for yards in a game by a rookie. Time and again he avoided the Dolphins' rush by stepping up in the pocket before throwing for many of his 30 completions. The Dolphins will face a similar challenge Sunday in corraling another big, agile young quarterback with Jake Locker returning from injury and expected to start for Tennessee.

It is time for the Miami Dolphins to stop tap dancing around the issue. The Dolphins began the season as one of the NFL's best rushing offenses, but as the weeks have progressed the running game has regressed. Miami has gone from one of the NFL's most forceful rushing team, which was the case in the first month of the season, to a limp ground attack. And plenty of that has to do with the tap dancing that's taking place at the line of scrimmage. The Dolphins are presently averaging 3.8 yards per carry, and Reggie Bush, the starting tailback, has to shoulder a significant load of the blame because of patience he possesses at the line of scrimmage.